Genin

"Third Hokage!"

Yemo bowed, but his gaze drifted awkwardly to the floor. There were cracks all across the floor in front of the Third's desk, leaving Yemo thoroughly puzzled. Why was the floor of the Hokage's office still cracked? Was Yemo that short on funds now?

Of course, Yemo had no idea that the cracks in the floor had all been caused by an enraged Kushina. The repair crew hadn't arrived yet, so the floor remained as it was.

Ahem...

The Third cleared his throat and said, "Yemo, I've agreed to Orochimaru's proposal to promote you directly to Genin without an examination."

Yemo was overjoyed. "Thank you, Third Hokage."

The Third waved a hand. "Don't thank me yet. Your strength has earned you this. I hear that under Orochimaru's guidance these past few days, your strength has grown rapidly, and you've even mastered Chakra Nature Transformation and Shape Transformation for both Fire Style and Lightning Release."

"That's because Teacher Orochimaru taught me so well. Without his guidance, I couldn't possibly have progressed so quickly," Yemo said with a laugh, scratching his head.

The Third smiled faintly. "There's no need to be modest. Although Orochimaru's guidance played a part, your talent is what matters most. Without talent, even the best teacher could do nothing. It's like a piece of uncut jade: if the jade itself isn't good, even the finest carver can't make a fine piece from it."

After a pause, the Third suddenly changed the subject. "I've taught three students in my life, and they haven't disappointed me. They became the Sannin, famous throughout the Shinobi World, the pillars of Konoha who protect the village. Among them, Tsunade and the Sannin didn't fully inherit what I had learned. Only Orochimaru did. Do you know why?"

"I don't know?"

Yemo shook his head. In fact, he did know, but he didn't want to say it and show off.

"Of the three-Tsunade, Jiraiya, and Orochimaru-only Orochimaru has Chakra of every nature. Tsunade and Jiraiya do not, so Orochimaru was able to fully inherit what I had learned. You also have a constitution that gives you Chakra of every nature, so you too can fully inherit what Orochimaru has learned."

"I don't just hope you can inherit what Orochimaru has learned. I also hope that, like Orochimaru, you'll grow strong one day and protect Konoha," the Third said earnestly.

Yemo thought to himself that the Third had gone all the way around just to tell him to be loyal to Konoha in the future.

Having figured out what the Third was doing, Yemo naturally wasn't about to do anything stupid. He hurriedly declared his loyalty. "One day, I'll become a powerful shinobi like Teacher Orochimaru and protect Konoha's peace."

Seeing the look of anticipation in Yemo's eyes as he said those words, the Third nodded inwardly. Yemo's immense talent both delighted and frightened him.

He was delighted that Konoha would have another powerful shinobi to protect it in the future, but worried that if Yemo went astray and betrayed Konoha, he would pose an enormous threat. Seeing Yemo's reaction, however, the Third unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

The Third opened the drawer beneath his hand and took out a Forehead Protector he had prepared earlier. "Yemo, this is your Forehead Protector. Starting today, you're a Genin of Konoha."

Looking at the Forehead Protector in the Third's hand, Yemo couldn't contain his delight. He stepped forward and took it from him. The iron Forehead Protector felt heavy in his hand, and Konoha's symbol was engraved in its center: an abstract leaf. According to legend, the First Hokage had created the symbol by accident when he stuck a leaf to his forehead to improve his Chakra control.

Yemo immediately put the Forehead Protector on his forehead. Unfortunately, there was no mirror here. Otherwise, he really wanted to see whether he looked super cool wearing it.

Putting on the Forehead Protector meant that Yemo was now officially a Genin. He then left the Hokage's office, but Orochimaru stayed behind.

Once Yemo left, the room fell utterly silent. The silence didn't last long, however, before the Third broke it.

"Orochimaru, what do you make of what happened last night? How accurate do you think the Anbu's analysis is?"

After giving it some thought, Orochimaru shook his head slightly. "It's hard for me to judge what happened last night. After all, I wasn't there. As for the accuracy of the Anbu's analysis..."

Orochimaru suddenly stopped, as if what he was about to say shouldn't be said.

The Third glanced at Orochimaru as he hesitated. Clearly aware of his concerns, he said, "Don't hold back. It's just the two of us here. Say what you want to say."

With the Third's permission, Orochimaru no longer held back. "Yesterday's affair was handled entirely by Root, which Danzo controls. We don't know the slightest thing about what actually happened last night. Everything we know came from Danzo's report, and the analysis came from Danzo alone."

"I understand what you mean," the Third said gravely. "You're suggesting that Danzo might have concealed something, and that it would be best to treat his analysis with skepticism."

Orochimaru nodded. "That's right. In my opinion, it would be best to gather more information before deciding on our next move, Teacher Sarutobi."

After hearing Orochimaru's opinion, the Third didn't respond immediately. His fingers tapped lightly on the desk as he sank into thought, a wisp of white smoke rising slowly from his pipe. The room fell silent once more.

The silence lasted a little over a minute before the Third broke it. "I understand your concerns, but Danzo's analysis isn't without merit. That's why I didn't refuse to let Yemo go to the battlefield. I want to test Kumogakure's true intentions."

A flicker of disappointment appeared in Orochimaru's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, so quickly that even the Third didn't notice.

Teacher Sarutobi hadn't listened to his advice and had chosen to trust Danzo instead. Orochimaru said nothing about that, but he was unhappy about using his own student as bait.

Elsewhere, Yemo naturally had no idea that besides gaining experience, another purpose of his trip to the battlefield was to serve as bait.

At that moment, Yemo was standing in front of a mirror, looking at himself wearing the Forehead Protector. He couldn't help clicking his tongue in admiration. "Ah, so handsome. I was already handsome, and now I look even better with the Forehead Protector on."

Yemo wasn't exactly handsome, but the Forehead Protector above his sharply defined face gave him an indescribable air.

Yemo reached up and touched the Forehead Protector on his forehead. It felt like a dream. He hadn't expected to become a real shinobi so easily. Although he was only a Genin, it meant he had taken his first step as a shinobi.

Smack...

Suddenly, Yemo felt someone pat him on the shoulder. A familiar voice followed from behind him. "Yemo, what are you doing standing in front of someone's shop?"

Yemo turned around in surprise. "Obito, what are you doing here?"

It was Obito Uchiha standing behind him, a smile on his face. After their challenge that day, the two had cleared up their misunderstanding. Neither was the type to hold a grudge, and after getting to know each other over the past few days, they were now good friends.

Yemo had been facing away from him, so Obito hadn't been able to see his face. Now that Yemo had turned around, Obito spotted the Forehead Protector on his forehead. His face filled with disbelief. "Yemo, you actually became a Genin?"

Yemo hadn't been wearing a Forehead Protector when Obito saw him yesterday, but today he was already a shinobi. Naturally, Obito was astonished and could hardly believe it.

"Well? Don't I look cool? I just got it from the Third," Yemo said, pointing at the Forehead Protector on his forehead with a smug smile.

"Geniuses really do get treated differently. Just like that guy Kakashi, you were personally granted shinobi status by Lord Hokage." Obito's tone was tinged with envy. He was extremely envious that Yemo had been personally given the title of shinobi by Lord Hokage.